PETA Supporter Under Fire for Fried Chicken Commercial

An Australian singer who has claimed an allegiance to the animal rights movement has gotten himself into hot-water over an advertisement for fried chicken.

Back in 2008, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) named singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd as Australia’s Sexiest Vegetarian, and he’s been quite vocal about his beliefs on animal rights since then. Rudd thinks he has an understanding of how the beef industry works after driving by a feedlot in California.

In a YouTube video sent out by PETA's Asia-Pacific chapter Rudd says he could smell a feedlot from 25 miles away as he drove up from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

"There was this massive pen of cows all stacked in on top of each other," Rudd says.

The feedlot Rudd was likely referring to appears to be Harris Feeding Company which has been recognized for their excellent animal-welfare practices that include shades and dust control. Animal handling expert Temple Grandin was even contracted to design the handling facilities and perform employee training.

Well, the song writing, animal rights activist must be singing a different tune now about livestock since his hit song ‘Let Me Be’ is featured in a KFC advertisement Down Under.

PETA wants him to “reconsider supporting a business which is bad for the animals, the environment and human health.”

Rudd and KFC have yet to address the controversy.

The song in the advertisement has lyrics like “shed blood for what they each believe,” and “I want to be free now.” Maybe Rudd wants to be free to eat meat. More likely he wants to be free to make money and forget about his ideologies.